1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumoperitoneum apparatus for performing pneumoperitoneum through an endoscope conduit inside an endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, endoscopes have widely been used in a medical field. A flexible endoscope, which is an endoscope including a flexible insertion portion, is inserted along an inside of a curved body cavity (or a lumen) and pneumoperitoneum operation (or insufflation operation) for inflating the body cavity (or the lumen) with gas using a pneumoperitoneum apparatus (also referred to as an insufflation apparatus) is performed at a region to be examined or treated, whereby a field view of observation via the flexible endoscope and/or a space for performing treatment are secured. Also, there are various types of flexible endoscopes including respective insertion portions having, e.g., different internal diameters depending on organs or regions to be examined, and there are various types of insufflation conduits for insufflation ranging from thin ones to thick ones depending on the types of flexible endoscopes.
For example, in the conventional example in International Publication No. WO 2007/080971, it is disclosed that: the distal end side of an insertion portion of an endoscope is inserted into an abdominal cavity, pneumoperitoneum is performed inside an abdominal cavity using a pneumoperitoneum apparatus; and concurrently, a flow rate sensor measures a flow rate and outputs the flow rate to a controller and the controller adjusts the flow rate via an electro-pneumatic proportional valve. In this conventional example, although a flexible endoscope is used, the pneumoperitoneum apparatus performs pneumoperitoneum inside the abdominal cavity without using an insufflation conduit that is an endoscope conduit inside the flexible endoscope.